The Handmaiden [2016]

The Handmaiden or ‘Ah-ga-ssi’ is a south korean psychological/erotic thriller film directed by Chan-Wook Park. It tells the story of a young woman who helps a con man steal the fortune of a Japanese woman. I could literally state a million reasons why I loved this film, like I’m not even surprised that it won 54 awards.

The first reason why I loved this film is the screenplay: the story itself and the development of the story are on point, especially the very unexpected plot twist. [I won’t go into further details to avoid spoiling it for you].

The second reason is the acting: the performances of the actors and actresses are breathtaking and moved me a lot.

The third reason is the cinematography and production design [both the cinematographer and production designer worked with the director before, in ‘old boy’ for instance]. Visually, the film is amazing: the colour palette is just beautiful and the shots are so well framed and well chosen – Here are some stills to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Really, Chan-Wook Park is on top of his game – I’m very excited to discover more of his films because from what I’ve seen for far, he is an amazing filmmaker.